It’s never too soon to start wedding planning, and trust us, time will fly by! Here’s our trusted, short-and-sweet, guide to what you should be doing, talking about, and looking into a year before your big day!

– Get to pinning! Start a Wedding Day Pinerest Board! These are so great and there’s so many options out there for inspiration, this could a great way to compile all your ideas into one place! Yea, you could do a scrapbook, but let’s be serious, who has time to cut out pictures, and paste into a binder, so get to Pinning! (Check out some of our favorite wedding ideas on Pinterest!)

– Dollar, dollar bills. What is your budget? The dreaded question, but maybe the most important after “will you marry me?”. Think long and hard, and be realistic. And then add a cushion of 15% just in case. Don’t overextend yourself.

– Start thinking about your wedding party. This is a careful process because you don’t want to miss anyone or leave anyone out, so take adequate time to plan who will be with you on your big day and in what capacity you could bring in your closest friends to help you with your festivities!

– The Guest List. Another tough decision, so this one also deserves a lot of thought. Will it be a small wedding? Medium? Large? What does that mean to you and your partner? Maybe even begin the list with “categories” of guests. Family. Friends. Coworkers. Acquaintances. Parent’s Lists.

– Reserve your venue. Start getting estimates on locations, and make one of the biggest decisions as soon as you can! This requires deciding on a date, too, which also directly effects your venue, time, and theme!

– Who’s doing what? The massive vendor list. Start looking into who’s going to do what on your big day! From caterers and florists, to entertainment and photographers. Make your list, check it twice, and knock out the big rocks as soon as you can!

– Book your officiant! Sounds simple, but this also depicts the style of your wedding, language, and messages read during the ceremony.

– And lastly, decide if you’re going to do it on your own. Wedding planner, or are you super organized and willing to take on what always ends up to be much more than you expected.

With these simple steps, you’re going to be well on your way to being prepared for your big day!